https://www.motorcycleshows.ca/ Year-in and Year-out, Canada is our fastest growing market in the world. Giant Loop is making a short drive across the border with product and bikes to display at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show on January 18th-20th. You will find us in Booth 132 directly through the main entrance and across from Honda. Our booth may be small but it will be mighty! We will be teaching Giant Loop 101 all weekend and will have product available for sale. Stop by and talk to the one and only Harold of Giant Loop and Celebrate 10 years with us.

Join us for our annual customer appreciation event, when we blow out Giant Loop gear at RIDICULOUS prices – and celebrate with local friends including DrinkTanks, Kreft Moto, CascadeSnowbike and more to be confirmed! Blems, closeouts, seconds and more! 20% off all camping gear. Select in-store specials. And this year, we’re inviting friends to come and sell too. Got a bike for sell? Apparel, parts, trailer? You can join us by simply making a $20 suggested donation to the Kurt Caselli Foundation (contact us for details 458-206-9113).

The Dakota 600 is an annual event in Western South Dakota that raises money to support trail development in the Black Hills and mountain areas of the National Forest System.

“–the Dakota 600, which wrapped up on July 20, 2017, offers a mix of challenging single track, two-track trails, gravel roads and twisty pavement through some of the most stunning yet accessible mountain scenery in the country. And it offers riders a way to help add to the number of trails available in the Black Hills in the future.”

Adventure proof packing systems and gear company Giant Loop will open a new, expanded retail showroom, the Giant Loop Adventure Shop, at its Bend base of operations, located at 63025 O. B. Riley Road, Suite 6, Bend, OR 97703. The GL Adventure Shop offers a community hub for explorers and fun hogs, with meticulously curated ultralight camping, gear and tools as well as the full Giant Loop product line on display and available for test fitting and purchase. All fun hogs and explorers are invited to an Open House on Saturday, May 6, 11 am to 6 pm, at 63025 O. B. Riley Road, Suite 6 in Bend. Beverages, snacks, prizes and smiles will be served.

In recent years, Giant Loop has expanded its product design and development scope to focus on expedition quality gear for extreme conditions outdoor pursuits, such as snowmobiling, snow biking, paddlesports, ultralight camping, backcountry and adventure travel. “Go light. Go fast. Go far.” is GL’s motto and company philosophy. Giant Loop’s product design, prototyping and testing, as well as shipping, receiving, warehouse operations, sales and marketing are based at the Bend location. Since the company’s 2008 start in a downtown Bend office space, it has grown into a total of three, 1300-sq-ft commercial work bays its current location.

Four times the size of the current warehouse showroom, the GL ADV Shop takes its design cues from abandoned homestead cabins in the high desert of eastern Oregon, using reclaimed pallet wood and branding iron accents as the backdrop. Displays feature paddlesports, camping, snow sports, ATV/UTV/4×4, as well as fully equipped dualsport and adventure motorcycles. Bend native Gary Cecil’s 1964 Honda CB77 Superhawk is a center piece — the motorcycle Giant Loop’s owner Harold Olaf Cecil first rode with his dad as a passenger at age 3, cementing a lifelong passion for travel and exploration on two wheels.

Founded in Bend in 2008, Giant Loop has built a reputation in off-road motorcycling as the go-to brand for hardcore adventure. Cycle World Magazine wrote in November 2015 that “The best hard-core saddlebag and tank-bag solution we’ve found is from Giant Loop…. There are cheaper solutions to carrying stuff, but these American-made pieces have been over mountains and across deserts with no issues.”

Giant Loop’s adventure proof motorcycle, snowmobile, snow bike, ATV, UTV, SxS, 4×4 and outdoor packing and gear systems are available from powersports dealers across the USA via Tucker Rocky Distributing, as well as from international distributors around the world. Giant Loop is a rider-owned company that designs and tests products in Bend, Oregon. For inspiration, go to www.giantloopmoto.com or www.giantloopsnow.com. Or call 888-358-8347.

Giant Loop sponsored these his and hers motorcycle inspired fashions in the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show last night in Bend. Our friend Mayra Aguilar Stearns designed these playful outfits from fabric remnants, damaged Saddlebags and Panniers and other reclaimed and salvaged materials. Standing to the right, the model is wearing a design created from used motorcycle inner tubes, sponsored by The Motoshop. The show is a fundraiser for the REALMS (Rimrock Expeditionary Alternative Learning Middle School).

Join us for an adventure motorcycle rally weekend at Crystal Crane Hot Springs, our basecamp for exploring the wonders of eastern Oregon’s high desert backcountry. This is a great way to get a taste of the amazing riding here in Oregon – and to meet some new riding friends. All bike types and riders are welcome! SPACE IS LIMITED – YOUR DEPOSIT SECURES YOUR SPOT!

PLEASE USE AN EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU CHECK, SO YOU RECEIVE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE RIDE, PLEASE SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR EMAIL LIST WITH THE ADDRESS YOU CHECK MOST FREQUENTLY!

All licensed riders on street-legal bike types welcome – dual sport, adventure touring – and you can ride your own route or choose from a variety of routes and form your own groups to suit most any bike and rider skill level.

Friday, June 2
* Dirt First clinic (details TBD)
* Adventure Medics will offer a free 1-hour first aid clinic (details TBD)
* Brief GPS and navigation clinic specific to Saturday’s riding (details TBD – volunteer navigation/GPS coordinator needed!)
* As riders arrive they will get signed in and receive SiliPints, set up camp, etc. No-hookups camping is included for Friday and Saturday night – other accommodations and additional nights must be arranged with Crystal Crane Hot Springs
* Route maps will be available for review, and there will be a computer set up to load in GPS tracks. Riders should form a group of three or more, and decide on routes on Friday.
* We’ll tap the keg and have some wine and snacks available before dinner
* First scheduled event will be catered Dinner. We’ve hired the same Burns-based caterer who does food for the BMWRO’s Chief Joseph Rally
* Prep bikes and riders for Saturday – best to have a FULL tank of gas ready for ride out Saturday morning

Saturday, June 3
* Coffee will be on early
* Breakfast at 7
* Ride! This BIG country, so you’ll want all of the daylight available – everyone is on their own for lunch
* Return to camp for snacks and beverages
* Catered dinner
* Campfire and prizes/awards
* Hot springs soaking and stories of the day’s sights and adventures

Sunday, June 4
* Coffee, breakfast
* Break camp
* Ride home – or off to another adventure
* See you next year!

Important Details about the 6th Annual Giant Loop Ride:
* All riders are expected to be self-sufficient and equipped with all tools and supplies needed to be safe and comfortable.
* For your registration fee, Giant Loop is providing food, beverage and commemorative drink ware – all provided and delivered on private lands.
* This is not a paid guided trip. Riders are free to choose any route they wish to ride, and riders are responsible for all required permits, licenses, etc.
* Route suggestions and GPS tracks are provided free of charge for your convenience.
* This is some of the most rugged and remote country in the lower 48 states. We recommend using a SPOT tracker or similar device for self-rescue. Cell phone coverage is unreliable in rural Oregon. There are no support vehicles, and many available routes are far from medical and mechanical help. Consider signing up for and emergency service provider, such as Air Link or Life Flight. Here’s a good PDF article discussing the details and relative merits of these service providers.
* Unpaid volunteers will be available to facilitate forming groups of riders with similar skills, bike types and interests, but riders are responsible for themselves, are free to choose any route they wish to ride and are free to ride with any other riders – or by themselves as individuals.

2nd Annual Giant Loop Garage Sale: Saturday, November 12, 9am-Noon

Deals like these come just once a year. If you love playing in the outdoors, you’ll flip for bargain basement prices on close outs, blems, demos, displays and reconditions. Gear for snow, water and dirt on all vehicles.

At our Bend, Oregon showroom: 63025 O. B. Riley Road, Suite 6 – across the street from the Bend International School and KTVZ.

Since 1992, old friends and new have been getting together over a common bond: motorcycles. The D2D weekend consists of motorcycle games on unpaved streets of Dawson, a poker run in the historic goldfields, and a banquet full of delicious food, crisp Canadian beer, and a whole lot of fun!

“Because Dawson City is located at the junction of three iconic highways: the Top of the World/Taylor Highways, the North Klondike Highway and the Dempster Highway, you’ll have plenty of options to do some epic riding.”

Check out their Facebook page to get information on next year’s D2D ride.

Giant Loop is proud to have donated to this event which benefits the Dawson Shelter Society, the Dawson Women’s Shelter, the Healthy Babies, Healthy Moms program, and the Dawson City Fire Fighter Association.

Watch BAJA RALLY 20016 Live All Week
Live Streaming, Live Tracking and Daily Video Highlights On www.bajarallymoto.com. Each day for 5 days, race fans worldwide will stay up to date with all the action and drama as it unfolds!

4th Annual BAJA RALLY – The fastest growing motorsports event in North America spans the entire week of October 9th to 15th with Live Streaming Video, Live Tracking and daily highlight videos. Engines will roar as the sun breaks the darkness in the horizon, and the 80 competitors from 13 countries will take their first green flags Tuesday October 11 from “Restaurante Acambaro” at 9:00AM PDT. Don’t miss any of the blood, sweat and tears spilled onto the 1,500-mile racecourse this year! Watch the riders blaze down the Baja Peninsula from our Live Streaming and Tracking Pages then check out our Instagram and Facebook pages regularly for photo, news and video updates!

ABOUT BAJA RALLY

The BAJA RALLY is the first and only FIM style navigation rally raid in the Mexican State of Baja, CA. Modeled after the world famous DAKAR RALLY, the BAJA RALLY has been endorsed by federal, state and municipal governments as an “eco-adventure” racing competition because of its low impact on the environment and through cooperation with federal regulators. Four years since its inception, the BAJA RALLY is branded as a human experience designed to test racers’ stamina, skill and mechanical prowess.

Dream Roll 2016 Success Album

To say the Dream Roll 2016 was a success would be a gross understatement. Between motorcycle camping with no boys allowed, bike rides to waterfalls, tattoos in tents, free beer, and the biggest group of badass women you’ve ever seen, this weekend is one we’ll never be able to forget, even if we tried. It took place on the Flying L Ranch near Mount Adams, Washington from August 12-14 with about 200 women in attendance. Here’s a small peek into the best trip of the year:

Giant Loop intern, Sydney, about to set off to Washington on the Honda CB500X

Took a dip in the John Day River on the roasting ride out

Filling up at Glenwood Gas Station right next to home base before setting out for the day

I packed all my clothes and food into the Dry Pods in the Great Basin, my sleeping bag, pad and sheath into the Tillamook, spare tools in the Possibles, and phone, camera, GoPro, water, and snacks into the Diablo, all packed nice and tidy on the Honda. Everything was secure the whole ride, not a single issue; the weight was nice and low, too, so I wasn’t being thrown around in the wind or thrown off balance in the beautiful Washington twisties.

The tank bag, I realized, is deceivingly large. As the smallest of the tank bags Giant Loop offers, I was skeptical, but only until I tried it. It fit my DSLR camera, phone, wallet, snacks, headphones, water bottle, AND GoPro all at once with no problem. We stopped at a gas station where I got more snacks and another water bottle, before I realized I didn’t think I had any room left. But I was wrong, I ended up fitting everything in without even straining the zipper!

Another unexpected savior was the sleeping sheath. I don’t have a tent, so I posted up in a hammock and sleeping bag under the trees, with the sleeping sheath still in the Great Basin, since I thought I wouldn’t need it. Then a fat bug fell onto me from the tree I was under, and I ran for the sheath! I zipped it up and over me and my sleeping bag, folded the top back so the mesh was over my face instead, and I swung under the stars and watched the meteor shower without fear of bugs falling on my face. It’s super lightweight, takes up almost no space, and keeps the critters out.

Motorcycle camping with 200 women > any other camping

The Gravel Gang makes it to Dog Creek Falls

I met some of the absolute raddest chicks this weekend! Shout out to Ria the Welder who welds AMAZING custom sissy bars. Check out her Instagram to see her work. Then there’s Killer Kelly, who makes t-shirts that say “Support Badass Babes” and sells them on her Instagram. She’s just starting out, so message her and order a tee for only $16, and watch as she grows into an operation that sponsors badass babes in their badass adventures. Another shout out to Hinterland Empire and Wasted Times for some super cool women selling some super cool gear.

Thanks to all the sponsors, including Women’s Moto Exhibit, and everyone involved for organizing the experience of a lifetime. This is only the second year the Dream Roll has been put on, so there are many more to come! This weekend getaway is one for the books and one that we’re all going to come back to again and again. I’ve been riding for 5 years now, but never got the true biker experience by being part of a community of motorcyclists outside my dad and brother. But after this weekend I’ve found my motorcycle community and finally consider myself to be a real biker. Thanks to all the amazing ladies who rode out and made the weekend an unforgettable event. Happy riding!

Giant Loop Sponsors MMA Fighter Reece van der Merwe

Next month Los Vegas will host the IMMAF World Championships where upcoming MMA fighter, Reece van der Merwe, will represent South Africa and compete for the ultimate title. Because he is responsible for his travel expenses, Giant Loop and Desert Lizard have decided to sponsor him, so he can have the chance he rightfully deserves. The Port Elizabeth native will be competing in the amateur featherweight class and currently has a 3-1 record. Good luck Reece!

(BEND, OR) Bend-based adventure proof packing systems and gear company Giant Loop will host a presentation on Friday, March 4 by British motorcyclist Steph Jeavons, who rode around the world on her Honda CRF250L dual sport motorcycle. Doors open at 6:30 pm at the Sons of Norway Fjeldheim Lodge, 549 NW Harmon Blvd. in Bend. Admission is a suggested cash donation of $10, all of which goes to support Jeavons travels and presentations. Beverage and raffle tickets will also be sold for cash as a fundraiser for local athlete Solana Kline, a professional off-road triathlete, mountain biker and dual sport motorcyclist.

During her hour-long presentation featuring footage from Antarctica and images from all over the world, Jeavons will share stories from life on the road over the past two years, including how she got started, fears and costs vs. reality, and ways to save money while travelling. She will also explore topics such as the perception that women travelers are more vulnerable and why it is not the size of your engine that counts.

For information, call Giant Loop, 458-206-9113.

About Steph Jeavons
Steph Jeavons is a woman on a mission. Previously having operated an off-road motorcycle school in Wales and desert tours in Morocco, Steph set about reducing her life to the bare minimum. She sold her house and her road bike and kept only one small box in her parents’ attic marked ‘TO KEEP’.
In March 2014, Jeavons set off from the iconic Ace Cafe in London in an attempt to ride to all seven continents on her Honda CRF250L, named Rhonda. Steph and Rhonda have now ridden further than any 250cc motorcycle has gone before, with their many miles together taking them through the deserts of Iran, the chaos of India, the heights of the Himalayas and the jungles of Borneo (to name but a few). Jeavons writes for motorcycle magazines, such as Adventure Motorcycle and Ride Magazine. Her website is onestephbeyond.com.

About Solana KlineBend-based professional off-road triathlete, mountain biker and dual-sport motorcyclist Solana Kline teaches anthropology at Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University Cascades. In 2016, Kline’s goal is to have a race program that is completely locally supported, combining three disciplines of racing: off-road triathlon, mountain bike racing and motorcycle racing. The X-Terra Off-Road Triathlon Pan-Am Professional race series will be the central focus.

About Giant Loop
Based in Bend, Giant Loop designs and manufactures adventure proof motorcycle, snowmobile and outdoor packing and gear systems. From its Bend showroom and website, Giant Loop is also a retailer of products that complete its “go light, go fast, go far” approach to packing for adventure. Giant Loop products are available from international distributors, as well as from a network of dealers throughout the USA. Giant Loop is a rider-owned company. For all the details, go to https://www.giantloopmoto.com or http://www.giantloopsnow.com.

PAYMENT IN FULL DUE NOW – DEADLINE IS MAY 17! SIGN UP FOR WAITING LIST SPOTS – YOU WILL BE REFUNDED IF SPACE DOES NOT BECOME AVAILABLE.

Join Giant Loop for off-road adventure in Oregon’s beautiful high desert, Friday, June 3 through Sunday June 5 at Crystal Crane Hot Springs. This is a great way to get a taste of the amazing riding here in Oregon – and to meet some new riding friends.

To preserve the quality of the experience, we are limiting registration to the first 100 who register by paying a $100 refundable deposit now. The deposit will be refunded if you cancel before May 3. The second payment of $200 will be due by May 17, and we will give any spots away to riders on our waiting list if any of the first 100 do not complete their registrations by the deadline. Or, commit now with the full $300 reservation, and you’re in with nothing more to worry about.

IF YOU USE A DIFFERENT EMAIL ADDRESS FOR PAYPAL THAN YOU DO TO RECEIVE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE RIDE, PLEASE SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR EMAIL LIST WITH THE ADDRESS YOU CHECK MOST FREQUENTLY!

JUST ADDED: Dirt Bike Safety Training is holding a clinic Friday, June 3 at the 5th annual Giant Loop Ride, held in Crystal Crane Hot Springs, OR. Bring your dualsport or adventure bike to improve your skills with the instructors of Dirt First by MotoVentures and Dirt Bike Safety Training, LLC. Friday morning 11 to 3. We will start with a brief riders meeting, followed by a number of Dirt First by MotoVentures Level 2 exercises that include: how to handle common terrain challenges, how to “clutch it” to control your speed and traction, how to position your body and maintain your balance at low speeds, how to execute tight turns while both sitting and standing (counterbalancing), how to handle extreme braking for those challenging downhill trails, how to change directions at speed to conquer hill climbs and sand washes, how to ride in ruts and on single track trails, and how to wheelie over small logs or rain ruts. Space is limited, register now at www.dirtbikesafetytraining.com for $125, or $149 at the event. Register now!

5th Annual Giant Loop Ride
All licensed riders on street-legal bike types welcome – dual sport, adventure touring – and you can ride your own route or choose from a variety of routes and form your own groups to suit most any bike and rider skill level. This is not a guided trip, your fees cover two nights of camping, hot springs access, Silipint drinkware, and meals, snacks and beverages (more details below). Watch your email for more details and updates!

Tent camping with a natural hot springs soaking pond!

FRIDAYArrive early at Crystal Crane Hot Springs, set up camp and soak or explore, but don’t be late for the Beer & Wine Happy Hour and Ranch Dinner! We’re looking into hosting an off-road riding clinic on Friday, too – stay tuned for details.

SATURDAY
Morning – Fuel up with a hearty Ranch Breakfast, then go ride!
Afternoon – Steens Mountain Loop, Alvord Desert Loop, Owyhee Loop will be among the options. And yes, we will provide GPS tracks ahead of the event (thanks Laura!). You’ll be on your own for lunch.
Evening – Relax and enjoy Ranch Dinner and Beer & Wine Happy Hour, soak in the hot springs pool, share some laughs and tell tales around the campfire . . . and some fabulous prizes!

SUNDAY
Morning – Eat a hearty Ranch Breakfast, break camp and ride your own chosen route with any group you wish. Take the scenic route home, meander and explore – or head off on a new adventure.

MONDAY
Tell all your friends how much fun you had, share pics and stories!

Important Details about the 5th Annual Giant Loop Ride:
* All riders are expected to be self-sufficient and equipped with all tools and supplies needed to be safe and comfortable.
* For your registration fee, Giant Loop is providing food, beverage and commemorative drink ware – all provided and delivered on private lands.
* This is not a paid guided trip. Riders are free to choose any route they wish to ride, and riders are responsible for all required permits, licenses, etc.
* Route suggestions and GPS tracks are provided free of charge for your convenience.
* This is some of the most rugged and remote country in the lower 48 states. We recommend using a SPOT tracker or similar device for self-rescue. Cell phone coverage is unreliable in rural Oregon. There are no support vehicles, and many available routes are far from medical and mechanical help. Consider signing up for and emergency service provider, such as Air Link or Life Flight. Here’s a good PDF article discussing the details and relative merits of these service providers.
* Unpaid volunteers will be available to facilitate forming groups of riders with similar skills, bike types and interests, but riders are responsible for themselves, are free to choose any route they wish to ride and are free to ride with any other riders – or by themselves as individuals.

Join Giant Loop for off-road adventure in Oregon’s beautiful high desert. This is a great way to get a taste of the amazing riding here in Central Oregon – and to meet some new riding friends.

This year, we are limiting registration?to the first 100 who register by paying a $75 refundable deposit now. The deposit will be refunded if you cancel before May 17. The second $75 will be due by May 17, and we will give any spots away to riders on our waiting list if any of the first 100 do not complete their registrations by the deadline. Or, commit now with the full $150 reservation, and you’re in with nothing more to worry about.

WE HAVE 100 RIDERS PRE-REGISTERED! PLEASE JOIN THE WAITING LIST. WE WILL GIVE CANCELATION SPOTS TO RIDERS ON THE WAITING LIST IN THE ORDER BY DATE – THE SOONER YOU SIGN UP THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING A SPOT.

All street-legal bike types welcome – dual sport, adventure touring – and you?can choose?a from at least four different routes and groups to suit most any bike and rider skill level. Or, form your own group and ride your own route. This is not a guided trip, your fees cover camping, hot springs access and the meals and snacks Giant Loop provides (Saturday breakfast and dinner and Sunday breakfast). For riders who come to Bend on Friday, we will have a volunteer OHV Trash Pick-Up event. Watch your email for more details and updates!

Pre-ride meeting at the 2014 Giant Loop ride

Great camping – and rental cabins (book directly with Summer Lake Hot Springs) await at the end of the trail.

SUNDAY
Morning – Eat a hearty breakfast, break camp and ride your own chosen route with any group you wish.
Afternoon – Take the scenic route, meander and explore – or head off on a new adventure.

MONDAY
Tell all your friends how much fun you had, share pics and stories!

Details about the 4th Annual Giant Loop Ride:
* All riders are expected to be self-sufficient and equipped with all tools and supplies needed to be safe and comfortable.
* For your registration fee, Giant Loop is providing food, beverage and commemorative drink ware – all provided and delivered on private lands.
* This is not a paid guided trip. Riders are free to choose any route they wish to ride, and riders are responsible for all required permits, licenses, etc.
* Route suggestions and GPS tracks are provided free of charge for your convenience.
* We recommend using a SPOT tracker or similar device for self-rescue. Cell phone coverage is unreliable in rural Oregon. There are no support vehicles, and many available routes are far from medical and mechanical help.
* Unpaid volunteers will be available to facilitate forming groups of riders with similar skills, bike types and interests, but riders are responsible for themselves, are free to choose any route they wish to ride and are free to ride with any other riders – or by themselves as individuals.

We are getting more and more signups for the Giant Loop Summer Lake Ride. Today I talked to a party of four that will be joining us from Washington.

This is a reminder to riders that riding public land in Oregon requires an OHV permit, costing $10.50, and for Oregon residents, an OHV Safety Education card.

If you have a OHV permit from a bordering state, you are good to go. If you do not have a permit, you can buy one from a local dealer, even if the bike is licensed out of state and you are not an Oregon resident.?Here are links to the OHV Safety Training?and the OHV permit vendors.

Had a blast leading the Giant Loop Gnarly Dual Sport ride, at Rally in the Gorge, last weekend. It included a section of old wagon trail called the Suicide Grade. It wasn’t that suicidal but I had to wonder, when the rain caught up to us and changed things!

The route was, well, gnarly.?Pretty challenging and fun overall, except for the slime section. The?bit of rain that we started with, turned into a down pour and the couple miles of silt road became a slime pit.

Ride West Ambassador Tad and I both ran the same front tire, with the similar results. His 2014 BMW F800GS Adventure was less fortunate that my KTM, and endured a few permanent changes. The Possible Pouches that Tad runs on his engine guards were dirty, but unscathed from the down time. Cant say the same for his brake pedal, which did a rock encouraged u-turn…

The right tool for the cleaning the baked on slime…

Big Bertha was really not happy with her K-60, in the slop we encountered. She had more than one throw down with that stuff and I was glad not to break anything, but my pride.

A big thanks to ADVrider Apple Jam, and everyone else that attended, I can’t wait until next year!!

This years Touratech Rally had the added element of an Overland section, so the attendance was rumored to hit 1000! There were many rides on the schedule, including a Dirty Girls training session from Tracy Jeffries.

We separated into groups and headed out on different routes, destined for the Hot Springs. Each rider with the goal of arriving at the waiting Pools, Kegs and Katering by Michele, Brian and Paul. There were enduros headed for Fandango Canyon, adventure bikes rolling out to Sheep Rock and several riders that made Christmas Valley after lunch time, then slabbed it in to the Hot Springs.

Navigation was a snap, since I had gathered a bunch of good tracks with our Trailtech Voyager and had them uploaded to the ?Voyagers on GL’s KTM 500 EXC, Honda XR650R and my KTM 950 S&M.

The “Trailside Service” contest entries included a self extrication of a rider with broken foot(he made it to the hospital safe), a full caps off?re-oiling of forks with ATF during lunch and two fuel systems reworks, one with plugged jet and the other a plugged filter.

The dust pits were axle deep in some parts and the sand was really thick on the red roads. Those kinds of conditions were new to many of the riders and it took lots of extra focus, just to keep the front tire under the bike.

There were around ten flat tires, four of them on the rear of Darryl at Cyclopsadventuresports.com’s KTM 990 Tire Burner, another was in Lendon at Seat Concepts.com group. Good thing Darryl understands LC8’s appetite for tasty tires. ?Big Bertha(my KTM 950S&M) chewed right through the gristle and steel, leaving nothing but?bones. Lucky it still held air and got me back into the driveway…

I’ll get another post up with pics of dinner and the campfire, as I can find them.

Thanks to everyone who joined us on this ride, to the folks at Summer Lake Hot Springs for hosting us and the cafes and stations in Christmas Valley, Paisley and Silver Lake for feeding us or filling our fuel tanks, for the next leg. An especially big thanks to the Katering Krew for feeding us tasty Tri-Tip-Tacos for dinner!

As Harold travels in Norway, our thought are with him and his family, since they were evacuated from their home due to the Wild Fire in Bend. This is a phone pic of the fire was taken by my friend, Danny Funderburg, Sunday night.

Harold stopped by the Summer Lake Hot Springs on his return trip from the Overland Expo. He wanted to catch up with the folks there and cover some details for our upcoming ride. He saw that the crew was hard at work building cabins, which will be ready in time for our event. ?If you are signed up for the Giant Loop ride and don’t want to tent camp on the ground at the hot springs, call the resort and make yourself a reservation for one of the new cabins! 541-943-3931

SiliPints are in the house! Get registered now for the Giant Loop Summer Lake Hot Springs Ride?and receive one of these limited edition unbreakable drinking tools for hot or cold beverages – and tasty Oregon microbrew beer to go in it! Quantity is limited, so reserve yours today.

I will miss the handle on my ever-present German beer steins, cause they will stay home from now on. Over the years I’ve broke enough of them in camp to know better, but I just can’t leave home without one…

Packing up the van and GL’s 2001 Honda XR650R to head over and ride the Alley Sweeper, promoted by Sang Froid Riding Club. My girl Tam will be along, riding her first rally on her ’71 Triumph Scrambler, the perfect bike for this occasion.

Details here:
APRIL 11, 2014 BY BOHLSEN
Alley Sweeper Urban Enduro

It?s here! Your friendly neighborhood alley sweeper, a chance to explore some of Portland?s public alleyways by motorcycle.

When: meet at 9:30am Saturday, April 19

Where: N Tillamook Street, just off Interstate Ave

What? Show up for breakfast and route map/details at 9:30am. Ride is free (though we?ll have t-shirts for sale, and donations are always appreciated). Feel free to wear your Sunday best, or get creative with a costume. See you there!

After ride party host:
Fenders Moto Cafe & Brew Pub will be having a after hours party for all the Alley Sweeper riders Saturday the 19th Starts at 11 AM and ends at 11 PM. Great food and Drinks and we will have specials for everybody.
We are at
4336 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland Or. 97206

I met Tracy at a RawHyde event in 2012 and learned that there is an appetite for DIRT in all of us. Some, like Tracy, just express it better than the rest. Tracy has devoted her motorcycling skill development and riding experiences to honing her ability to roost dirt and ride big adventure bikes with the best of them. She has been a fixture at North West adventure riding rallies, supporting Touratech and Ride West BMW during events, leading GS rides, plus raising money for Riders For Health, a motorcycle based health care charity.

I am stoked to share the news that Tracy has put Giant Loop’s Summer Lake Hot Springs Overnighter on her schedule and has volunteered?to lead the Ladies Group. ?Thanks Tracy for bringing your skill and experience to our little hot springs ride.

So far, there are six ladies signed up for the event, so if you were on the fence about whether to join us, now you have another reason to get registered!

Details about the 3rd Annual Giant Loop Ride:
* All riders are expected to be self-sufficient and equipped with all tools and supplies needed to be safe and comfortable.
* For your registration fee, Giant Loop is providing food, beverage and commemorative drink ware ? all provided and delivered on private lands.
* This is not a paid guided trip. Riders are free to choose any route they wish to ride, and riders are responsible for all required permits, licenses, etc.
* Route suggestions and GPS tracks are provided free of charge for your convenience.
* We recommend using a SPOT tracker or similar device for self-rescue. Cell phone coverage is unreliable in rural Oregon. There are no support vehicles, and many available routes are far from medical and mechanical help.
* Unpaid volunteers will be available to facilitate forming groups of riders with similar skills, bike types and interests, but riders are responsible for themselves, are free to choose any route they wish to ride and are free to ride with any other riders ? or by themselves as individuals.

The Desert 100 is always physically hard on the racers and their carefully prepared race bikes. ?Therefore,?I was, and wasn’t, shocked to hear news of GL racer Alex Sherman’s crash, while battling for a top ten position in last weekend’s event, and that it was a race ender! ?A rescue helicopter is positioned on the ground and ready for the eventual emergency evacuation of an injured racer. The chopper crew is usually busy during the event, providing life saving transport to the local ER for the urgent medical needs of downed racers.?Fortunately for Alex, he didn’t need any medical assistance, since he avoided injury.

His “lightly raced” 2014 Kawasaki KX450F wasn’t so lucky…

There are no rescue helicopters for injured bikes, however, and that leads to some additional suffering for the damaged machines, as they are ridden back to the pits or hauled onto the sweeper truck.

Alex’s KX450F, was one such motorcycle that was damaged to the point of no longer being race-able, during a tussle with a boulder filled dust puddle. When Alex crashed, the bike hit a hidden rock so hard, that it dented and punctured his upper fork tube, plus twisted his lower triple clamp against steering stop on the frame. As Alex rode out to the pits, the inner fork slider was hammered against the dent in the outer fork tube, hard enough to bend and damage the inner cartridge.

Here are some pics of the bike, with it’s smashed fork leg and lower triple clamp on the operating table, showing the extent of carnage the bike endured, both during and after the crash.

Dustin and Harold are on site in Odessa, WA, for this weekend’s Desert 100 offroad race. They are in good company with GL racer Alex Sherman, our friends Tracy Jeffries of Ride West BMW/Touratech, Chet, of PSSOR, Alex Martens, of Konflict Suspension and Darrell VanNieuwenhuise,?of Cyclops Adventure Sports.

There will be plenty of mayhem on the race course, but don’t think that camp is gonna be tame, either. There will be thousands of racers there to motorcycle, but with around 6,000 people total on site, the after dark bench racing is where other “championships” get decided.

Above pic of the encampment found with Google Images, couldn’t find a name to credit.